Saturday, October 1, 2011

India scored an easy 124-run win over West Indies at the Port stadium here on Saturday to top the table with 14 points from three matches after the end of first leg of the matches in the quadrangular under-19 cricket tournament.

India dominated West Indies all through the match except when the last wicket pair of Donovon Nelson and Ronsoford Beaton delayed the end with a stubborn 48-run stand.

West Indies legend Courtney Walsh is enjoying his newest role in West Indies cricket. The former Jamaica and West Indies captain is the Team Manager of the West Indies Under-19 team, presently in India for a four-nation 50 Over tournament.

Walsh outlined that he is on tour to deal with the organisation and administration of the team but also on hand to share some of his vast knowledge of the game and experience to the young players.

“I am like a father figure to the boys in the team. I am here as Team Manager to handle the administration of the team but I am also here to impart whatever knowledge I can on these young men as we seek to develop West Indies cricket,” Walsh said.

“For me, here is a good place to start as I try to give back to West Indies cricket. I have been doing coaching and assisting at the junior levels in Jamaica and being here with the West Indies Under 19 Team is a great joy for me. I am just happy to help and make a meaningful contribution to the development of the players in West Indies cricket,” the former world record holder said.

Walsh is one of the most outstanding fast bowlers in cricket’s history and was last year inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame. He played at the international level from 1984 to 2001, and appeared in 132 Tests and 205 One-Day Internationals. He bowled over 30,000 balls in Test cricket and took a West Indies and then world record 519 wickets at 24.44 each. Since retiring from the game he has become a successful businessman and has also made a huge contribution to the development of several young sportsmen and sportswomen in Jamaica.

“I believe once the players get the help that is required we have some very good players in the making here. I always urge them to give their best. I told them to have strong self belief and maximise their good days. There will be some days in a cricketer’s life when a batsman can’t get a run or a bowler just can’t get a wicket, so my advice to them is when you are in form and things are going your way, you must capitalise and go big with both bat and ball,” Walsh added.

“The players have indicated they are happy to have me around and I enjoy working with them. They are a great bunch of young men. They have been picking my brain and trying to gain as much knowledge as they can about the game and the different conditions they will encounter. It has been a tremendous learning experience for me as well as I get a hang of the things.”

Walsh is on his second tour as Team Manager. He made his debut in the job during the three-match series against the United States Under-19s in Florida in July. The ongoing quadrangular series in India is being used as part of the West Indies’ preparations for the International Cricket Council’s Under-19 World Cup, to be played in Australia in August 2012.

The tour started on September 27 and runs until October 9 and also features India Under-19, Sri Lanka Under-19 and Australia Under-19. So far the Windies have had a tough trip, losing to the Aussies and the Sri Lankans. They will be looking to bounce back when they take on India on Saturday.